The Long Run

Start of the new year.  Nice morning for a running, slept in just a little bit (6:30) and ran with Jenny for a very pleasant 8 miles.  Not too much to report, just did then run and enjoyed it.

Average pace: 8:43

Chilly morning in Starkey park.  It felt a lot colder than it really was (about 39°).  Started running about 6:20 initially with Mike and Eric.  They were just doing 8 miles so I ran 4 miles out with them, stopped for water and then the next group caught up with us.  Got going again with Raj, Tim, John, Derek, David and Keisha.  David and Keisha turned back after one more mile out.

The rest of us continued on, we were running at about an 8:00 average on the way out.  Tim, John and I turned around at the 7 mile point as Raj and Derek went further out so they could get a total of 18 miles.

Average pace: 7:42

Picked it up a bit for the return trip, mostly doing 7:30's with the last mile at 6:45.  Was feeling nice and warmed up by the end of the run, but quickly felt cold at the social hour.  It was good to catch up with Eric and hear about his fast marathon in Jacksonville and wish Mike and David good luck at Disney marathon in one week.

Monday morning showed up a little too quick.  I had the alarm set for 6:00, but woke up at 5:00.  Thought about just getting up but then hoped I'd fall back asleep, but didn't.  Fortunately things turned around and the run went pretty good.  This morning was the coldest morning so far this year, but that was ok since I was going to do half of the run inside on the treadmill.

Went to the Y and did my usual warm up routines and got onto a treadmill for 4.55 miles @ about 8:10 average pace before heading outside.

Two shirts, hat, and gloves did the trick to keep me warm enough.  Was able to get into a decent pace right away and then picked things up for the last two miles.  Total of 5.05 miles outside.

Average pace (outside): 7:22

Cold snap continues here in Florida, but I know it could be worse.  Also, it was good to have someone to run with this morning to get motivated to get out there and run.  Ran with Jenny around the usual neighborhood routes. Wasn't too bad after the first two miles, feeling warmed up except when the wind hit.  Our pace was a bit faster than usual - wanting to get back inside as soon as possible.  We ran together just over 8 miles then I went a little bit farther to make it over 9 miles for me.

Average pace: 8:20

Met up with Raj, Tim, Derek, and Dougie at the Y this morning and headed over to the track next door at the high school.  Warmed up with 1.5 miles easy.  Goal at the track was 3 X 1600 @ 6:07 each.  I felt a bit stiff and cold even after the warm up so I wasn't sure if I'd make my goals time wise but I was determined to at least put the effort in.

It had been a while since I had any company for repeats.  It was really nice to have some others along.  First repeat wasn't too bad, there was hope.

On the next repeat I thought I was doing better but it ended up being exactly the same as the first.  On the third repeat I felt like I was losing some of my intensity and I tried my best to kick it up a bit and try and finish the third one just a little bit faster, but again it was exactly the same.  So overall it ended up better than what I thought it would be at the start.

6:07, 6:07, 6:07

Finished off with some easy miles come up with 8 miles total for the morning.

Ran with two Jenny's this morning.  Jenny and I left from our house and started around the neighborhood and ran with the other Jenny for a bit over two miles before she headed back, while Jenny and I continued on.  I wore two long sleeve shirts and finally almost felt overdressed (at least my top did).  Ran at a pretty good and even pace and passed the run quickly.  I ran with Jenny for a little over 8 miles, then did one more mile by myself.  Continued cold here, but I might be getting used to it.  I might not be able to handle the warm weather when it comes back.

Average pace: 8:37

Falling behind again! (said I wasn't going to do that).  At least it is just with the blog and not the actual running.  We had a one day break from the 30's, pleasantly surprised with low 40's , I'll take it.  Jenny and I ran together.  Just a standard route easy run through the nearby neighborhoods.

Average pace: 8:35

Mental toughness day.  Showed up at Starkey just after 6:30.  Just missed Keith, Jorge, and Bob, but was there just as Eric showed up.  It was about 34° with a very light rain.  Eric and I got going and my core felt warmed up after 2 miles.  It was really pushing it today to wear shorts.  Eric turned back after two and I continued on.  Ran into Keith, Bob, and Jorge close to the 4 mile point.  Talked to them for a few seconds.  Keith asked if I had just had some dental work, no, my face was just numb, but I sure must have sounded and looked like I couldn't talk.

Took a gel at 4 miles.  The cooler was out of cups so I had to improvise.  Went on further and stopped briefly at the 5.5 mile stop and grabbed a paper cup and stuck it in my pocket so I'd have one. 

It was quite a peaceful morning, no one else out on the trail at all after seeing my friends.  I saw at least 5 deer, and they didn't just dart across the trail.  They ran on the trail in front of me and zigzagged for a while.  The rain never got bad enough to soak me, it didn't even penetrate my clothing.  A few times I would catch the rain with my tongue, and one time I caught a piece of ice!!  (that's not supposed to happen here - although I heard that less than 2 hours north of here there was some snow).

Picked it up the last 5 miles, with the final 3 miles faster than 7:00 pace.

Average pace: 7:32

I got back to the parking lot and it was completely empty.  First time I have ever seen this.  I missed out on the coffe and breakfast breads.  After a few minutes, Joe M. pulled into the parking lot.  He also had 16 miles to do but had seen no reason not to wait until 9:00 - not a bad idea.

Monday morning inside/outside run.  I thought about possibly doing the whole run inside but it just seemed like too much treadmill on a day when it wasn't that bad outside.  Went to the Y, warmed up on the bike for 10 minutes, then did 4.22 miles on the treadmill at about 8:10 average pace.  I had brought long running pants and two long sleeve shirts.  Decided to just stick with shorts even though it was 28°.

The running outside actually felt pretty good.  I was warmed up from the treadmill and must have had on just the right amount of clothes.  

Outside average pace: 7:35

Ran with Jenny this morning.  Bundled up with 3 shirts, and felt comfortable.  Still chilly, but overall it was a good run.  We did 7.5 miles together, then I finished off with one more loop around the neighborhood.

Average pace: 8:21

I think today is supposed to be the last cold morning for a while.  Set out from my house, wearing a thick sweatshirt which I planned on stashing after 1 mile, hoping that I'd be warmed up by then.  Headed over to Starkey Blvd for my tempo run, which is a two mile warm up to get there.

Goal today was 5 miles @ 6:36 pace, I didn't quite make that pace for all of the miles, but I came pretty close.  Calves and ankles felt stiff.  For the first mile I was feeling pretty good, 2nd mile was a bit tougher, then miles 3 and 4 felt challenging.  I thought I was picking up some speed in the 4th mile but it wasn't quite enough.  Finally for the last mile, I must have felt warmed up enough to get moving and ended up on a positive note.

Splits were: 6:35, 6:37, 6:45, 6:40, 6:27

Weather was back to how it normally is for this time of year.  Nice, in the 40's this morning.  Going to warm up a little more in the next few days.  I ran with Jenny this morning and she was going to do 6 X 400 with 400 jogs  as well as warm up and cool down.  Her goal was a 6:35 pace.  There was a time when Jenny's speed work was still a fairly comfortable pace for me, that time has past.  The 400's made the run go by pretty quickly.  I may not continue to do her speed work with her since I usually do mine on Wednesdays and usually don't want to do two hard runs in a row.  But, at least it worked out pretty well today.

We ended up running together for a total of 7 miles, then I went on to get 1 more mile in for the morning.

Average pace: 8:53

Best weather in quite some time.  I think it was mid 40's.  Ran by myself, easy pace for a good part of it and a couple of fast miles towards the end.  The slower miles weren't too slow, it was nice not to have to slog through a slow warm up.

Average pace: 7:45

This morning was warm, almost too warm, but still nice.  Arrived in Starkey park at 6:15 and was going to set out with a small group but I was a little bit slow in getting started and ended up running alone for about 5 miles.  I had some trouble getting myself into a good pace.  Left ankle was feeling tight, not painful, just tight.  Stopped a couple of times to try and stretch it out (it felt like a tight piano wire running from my shin to my foot on the left side).

After about 4 miles was starting to feel better and finally got moving faster.  Just after 5 miles caught up with Raj.  Much more pleasant running with someone else.  Kept going at a good relaxed pace out to nine miles out before turning around.  Sometime near the turnaround I saw that I had averaged 8:26.  Stopped at the water stop just before getting back into Starkey Park.  Saw Eudair there and we talked her into running back with us.  I started to pick it up a little bit and Raj insisted that I go ahead.  Since I was finally running better I took him up on the offer.  Raj and Eudair stuck together.

For the last 6 miles I kept a good pace mainly between 6:50 and 7:00 with the last mile at 6:34.

Average pace: 7:51

Chatted with a bunch of the runners at the social hour for a bit and got to see everyone's various Disney marathon medals from last weekend.

9.07 @ 8:38 Easy miles
Ran with Raj and Jenny (not my wife) for part of the run.
Met at the Y and ran the horse farm route (we call it that
even though the horses are no longer there).
Nice morning for a run, no rain, no heat, no freezing cold,
just nice and cool.

Later in the morning I did the push-up challenge against
the Wii trainer.  I had just one more level to complete
and I thought it would be just 60 push-ups.  It kept
going and going and I finally quit at 89, not knowing
how much longer it was going to go on.  I'm guessing it
is 100 so I'll try again in a few days with that in mind.
They are kind of tough since they are slower and more
controlled with a slow cadence.

Went bowling in the afternoon with the family and one of Andy's
friends.  Bowled two games, pretty fun! Not quite running
but it is still moving.

Later that evening did an Inflict workout for the first time
in a while.

Ran with Jenny this morning, 7.53 @ 8:34 pace
Cooler this morning and foggy, the damp air made it seem colder
than it was.  Started out slowly and ran evenly for most of
the run, then picked it up for the last 1.5 miles to about 7:45 pace.

Catching up on blog today (Wednesday), tried to last night but there seemed to be some technical difficulties which are now fixed.

Ran with Jenny this morning.  About the same temperature as yesterday, but without the bone-chilling fog, so much much nicer.  Overall easy run with a nice steady pace throughout the run, a little bit faster than yesterday.

 Average pace: 8:40

Only 7 miles today.  This is a cut back week although I'll be doing 1/2 marathon on Saturday with 2 mile warm up so it will still be a pretty good week for miles.

Finally caught up on the blog!

Ran with Jenny this morning and did her 400 repeats which she had on her schedule.  This worked out well since I did not have any other speed work this week.  The run went pretty well.  Goal was to do 8 x 400 @ 6:35 pace.  I ran some of them a little bit faster and some right around the goal pace to get myself ready for the race on Saturday.

We did a 2 mile warm up first and then enough cool down to get us back home. 

It was fairly warm this morning, back to tank top weather.

Average pace: 8:37

It was raining a bit this morning, so Jenny said she would do her run later and I headed off to the Y.  Warmed up on the bike and did some stretching and then got onto a treadmill.  Left shin felt tight for a while, not painful just tight, loosened up after a bit.  Did 3.25 miles on the treadmill at about an 8:15 pace.

Headed outside where it was pretty nice out, just a little bit of post rain mist which soon cleared up.  I didn't have my Garmin and was just going to run a 3 mile loop that I usually ran on.  However, when I arrived at a place where there was some construction, I was not able to run past it and instead had to backtrack and follow the marked detour, added just a little bit extra.  Ran for 27:51 and guessed at about an 8:10 pace so I'll count that as 3.4 miles.

Had a great time at the race, didn't get a PR but did put in a good effort and was able to hold things together.  Weather was very nice, except for a little bit of wind.  Race started just as it was starting to get light out.  We arrived early enough that I was able to get in a pretty good two mile warm up.  Before the race, Chris Lauber, the race director told everyone to enjoy the views while up on the bridges.  

 Race started right on time and we were off.  My plan was to make sure and get the first mile in under 7:00 (which would bring us to the top of the first bridge), then try and get to a 6:30 pace going down the bridge and hang on with 6:30's for the rest of the race.  First mile went well and it almost felt easy for a short time.  Made it to the top of the bridge with a 6:43 first mile (although the garmin mile was a little short of the marker, I'd catch it up next mile if it was still off).  Took in the view at the top before heading down.  Got onto a nice pace and made the second mile in 6:27, but still off with the mile marker, another 9 seconds to catch up.

Next mile was flat but I was having some difficulty getting to the pace I wanted.

The 4th mile included the first time over the Sand Key bridge, it was a little harder than I remembered, slowed down a lot more than I wanted to, and then tried to make it up on the way down but ended up with 7:01 pace.  Just after the bridge, at about 4.5 miles was the aid station manned by my running group, the Suncoast Striders, they were especially helpful and really lifted my spirits and helped me get back on track to get a 6:39 pace.  I felt hopeful now.

Next mile and a half was a meandering route through Sand Key park before going back on the main road.  Next few miles were pretty good.  Felt a slight morale boost at the turnaround (about 7.5 miles), but also felt some wind.

Mile 9 I seemed to slip a little bit off pace (6:58), then had another boost as I went past the Striders water stop before having to ascend up Sand Key bridge one more time.  Another tough run up the bridge, this time really getting hit by some wind, tried to make up some more time on the way down but managed only 7:12, made sure to enjoy the view again, it looked like it was going to be a nice day out, could see out into the Gulf and across the intra-coastal waterway.

Fortunately mile 11 went pretty well and I managed 6:44, so I wasn't done yet.  I looked at my total time and new I still had a chance at getting under 1:30.  I kept on looking for the Clearwater bridge because I thought I'd be able to see it from a distance.  Just as I saw the mile 12 sign I saw the bridge.  It looked taller now.  I was excited to get up to the top because then it was all down hill from there.  Going up it was tough, more wind, I tried not to let my pace go slower than 7:30.  Finally hit the top and now it was time to make back some time.  Picked up some speed and ran down the helix as best I could then onto the straight part.  At the bottom of the bridge I could hear some one coming up behind me.  I surged a bit and thought I might hold him off, but then he surged again and this time I didn't match it.   I got passed one last time.  Ran the last 0.1 under 6:00 pace.  As I approached the clock I could see I was going to make it, and I did, with 1:29:52 on the clock (1:29:48 chip time).

Splits: 6:43, 6:27 (+:09 adjust), 6:44, 7:01, 6:39 (+:08), 6:41 (+:09), 6:47,

6:44, 6:58, 7:12, 6:44, 6:58, 6:52, 0:54 (0.15 @ 5:56)

My son cut off my chip for me (both boys came out to cheer us on and ended up helping out at the finish line with chips and medals). 

Went back to the bottom of the bridge and cheered on Jenny as she came in with another big PR for her of 1:44:40 (4 minute PR!).

Chris introduced himself to me and we chatted a bit, nice to finally meet him.  Ended up with second place for my age group.

It was a lot of fun with the racing, seeing friends, Jenny's PR and seeing the kids do their first race volunteering.  Ended up with nice weather also.

Felt slow and clunky this morning, but at least I was able to still get my run in for the most part (was supposed to do 9 but bargained with myself to at least get 8 done).

Went to the Y, warmed up on the bike then got onto the treadmill.  Did 3.25 miles at about an 8:40 average pace then headed outside.

 It was nice and cool this morning.  The roads were wet from the rain but the sky was clearing.  Outside portion went a lot better and I was feeling a good bit looser by the time I was done.  Finished another 5.32 miles, average pace 7:58

Accidentally used Jenny's garmin this morning, but they are identical so I guess it doesn't really matter too much :)

I felt much less sore this morning than yesterday, and therefore at least 75% less clunky.  It also helped that for some odd reason I woke up extra happy this morning (not sure why but I'll take it).  Ran with Jenny, nice cool, dry morning.  We ran 6 miles together at an easy pace (maybe about 8:45 average), then did two miles together about 7:45 pace.  I did one more mile at 7:09 pace with a short cool down at the end.

Average pace: 8:21

Went into the (unheated) pool afterward up to my waist for one or two minutes, nice and refreshing.

I was determined to meet my goals on this morning's run, and with a lot of effort I ended up coming pretty close.  I kept telling myself I was going to do it but a small voice kept on saying I was missing something.  The net result was that I was slower by 2 seconds per mile than my goal for the 6 mile tempo, so from that perspective it's pretty much the same.

Goal: 6 @ 6:32 pace

 The pattern was similar to last time (2 weeks ago for 5 miles), first mile was good, I slowly got onto pace and ended up just one second off.  Second mile was better at 6:30.   Sometime around then my iPod battery died, so no more music, time to just run!  3rd mile saw my pace slipping a bit, I struggled and ended up with 6:39.  This brought me to the turn around, pace really started to slip.  I was over 7:00 for a bit, clawed my way into the 6:50's, and gave it my all to get to 6:45.  I was trying really hard just to let things start flowing.  5th mile was starting out poorly, but I was starting to improve.  Saw Keisha heading the other direction and said hi, then saw another runner, things improved and I made mile 5 in 6:35.

Here is where I start to feel that a lot of the problem was mental.  I thought back to how I have done this pace before and sometimes faster, but maybe I forgot how hard it was and thought I wouldn't have to work as hard this time, which is wrong, on a hard day you need to remember what hard is and deal with it.  I soon found myself on pace and then faster than goal pace, I could make up a little bit of the lost time, last mile in 6:21.

Splits: 6:33, 6:30, 6:39, 6:45, 6:35, 6:21

Recovered and ran home at an easy pace.

Overall average pace: 7:28

Another nice and cool morning.  Ran with Jenny for most of the run.  She was doing 400's this morning and I had decided last time that this is not such a good idea for me on the day after my speed work.  So, instead we played leap frog.  She'd take off, and then I'd catch up some time during her recovery, get ahead of her a little bit then she'd pass me again.  Run went by pretty quickly and she made her goals (6 x 400m @ 6:35 pace).

Then I ran with her on the cool down for another 2 miles (total at this point was a little bit over 7).  She headed back home and I did one more lap around the neighborhood where I picked it up a bit with about a 7:10 average for the last 2.

Average: 8:16

I jumped into the pool, it was very cold! (don't have the heater turned on).  This past Saturday, as I was dipping part of my legs in the pool, my youngest son jumped into the frigid water and swam a couple of laps, I said "you sure are one tough dude!", so I'm trying to see if I can keep up.

7.74 miles, Average pace: 7:59

Ran by myself this morning on another nice cool and pleasant morning (thankful for each day that this streak continues).  About a mile and a half into the run my phone beeped.  I get very few text messages so I slowed down to look at the screen, nothing urgent, so I continued on.  Unfortunately it took me a little bit of time to get back into a rhythm, but not too long.  Had some twinges in my upper hamstring on my right side (ok, a little higher than the hamstring actually).  I don't often get pains there.  I'll just have to watch it a bit.

Overall, the run went well and I picked it up a bit for the final mile.

I was a little ahead of plan for miles this week, so I didn't have to do 9 miles today, still slightly ahead for the week with less than 9 today.

Big 20 mile run tomorrow, and also my last chance this weekend to get the early registration price and no online fee by registering at Sports Authority for the Gasparilla marathon, just one month away now!

Great 20 mile run in Starkey Park with Raj and Eudair.  Weather was perfect, low 60's, cloudy (it rained later that morning, so lucky to miss it).  Met up about 6:15, warmed up a little bit and then got going.  Started out with Raj, Eudair, and Derek.  Derek was with us for about 4 miles.  I brought my Flip video camera with me and took about 9 minutes worth of video (but it was very shaky, I'll have to see if I can fix it up).

Went out to the end of the Starkey park bike trail, then headed north onto the Suncoast parkway trail, until we reached 10 miles.  Turned around and then felt the wind right away.  It seems you hardly ever notice the wind at your back, just when you turn around.  Wasn't too bad, and it was only directly at us until we turned back onto the Starkey park trail, then it was a bit calmer.

I went ahead by myself with about 5 miles left, then really picked it up for the last two miles with 6:45 and 6:34.  Hadn't done a 20 mile run in a while so it was good to finish this and feel good at the end.

Average pace: 8:06

Missed out on the social hour but grabbed some leftovers as David was packing up.

Later in the evening I took another shot at the Wii push-up challenge.  This time I was prepared and did all 100 push-ups.  It was pretty hard because you have to do them slowly according to the whistle, down, back up, pause, repeat.